Thinking about a riding mower

[Juliet Hotel]

All the commercial guys are not buying those because they need more care than the air cooled Briggs.

As someone who operates and maintains a fleet commercial vehicles which are operated by employees, the fact that commercial guys shy away from a mower due to issues if/when it's not maintained properly wouldn't phase me in the slightest.

You think 'yeah but they're professionals right?' 'Their livelihood depends on them keeping up with the routine maintenance of the machines they make their living off of right?' 'If they can't keep coolant in the tank, no way I'll be able to...'

Yeah, you'd be dead wrong. They're not professionals, they're employees. As long as the machine runs, they run it. If the machine stops running, someone who isn't them writes a check to get it fixed or replaced. Maintenance is not their problem or concern. Ever.

I cannot count how many times I've seen a guy lock up his $1500 rusting POS '92 F150 like Fort Knox every time its out of his eyesight for more than 30 seconds but not bat an eyelash at leaving the door unlocked and the key in the ignition when they park my $150k Frieghtliner for the weekend in an unsecured lot. Employees suck. Always.

 

[SoonerAviator]

What I was told when I was researching lawn tractors, expect the air cooled engines to last 750-1000 hours pretty trouble free, liquid cooled 1250-1500 hours. Diesels should be able to get past 2,000 with just regular maintenance.

That's probably a pretty close range, although I'd probably even push the diesels up a bit more towards 2,500hrs if the oil had been changed regularly. They're just built so stout that they stay unaffected by much of anything other than overheating. The weight difference in the engines alone is staggering.

For example, I have a 1994 Yard-Man 42" rider with a 15HP Kohler (original engine and fires up in 2-3 revolutions). I can grab a hold of the front end and pick up clean-n-jerk style in order to change the blades. However, my G1800 diesel is 18HP and theres not a chance in hell that I'd be able to even lift the front off the ground. The engine weight as well as the frame weight are much higher and that contributes in a big way to absorbing bumps and impacts that tear the big box store models apart. While that Yard-Man engine has held up well without me doing any maintenance other than air filter and oil changes, the rest of the mower has fallen apart around it. It wasn't made to last 25 years, the Kubota was made to last 40+ (just like their JD diesel counterparts).

I got the Yard-Man for free and dealt with the constant parts breaking. However, when the transmission went out, I wanted something that I wasn't going to have to buy parts for several times a year to keep it going. Pay the money up front to get one that lasts rather than buying a new one every 10-12 years and dealing with the lower quality.

 

[Kenny Phillips]

I'd just buy an electric rider and be done with the maintenance for a yard that small.

 

[Sinistar]

Thanks. What do you think they should sell for. Here's a 10 year old X320 listed for 2k.
https://indianapolis.craigslist.org/grd/d/noblesville-2010-john-deere-riding-mower/7161544792.html

That price is pretty typical for that mower. You could maybe offer lower and get it for $1850 but summer isn't quite over yet where it will be easier to get to the that number. These things really hold their value as you can tell. It is basically selling for 50% of its MSRP 10yrs later! A Landcruiser will do that but not much else LOL! The seats on the X3xx and x500 series are nice to sit on but eventually crack or fall apart. So be thinking +$80 for a nice ebay replacement.

 

[PPC1052]

Ok, OP here. Nearly three years later, and the mission has now changed. Due to construction costs, we were never able to build the home that we wanted. So, we ended up deciding to buy a used house, which we close on in May. Although this is a less expensive option than constructing, the result is a much bigger yard. The property we're buying is 1.67 acres. So, a whole acre larger. The yard is flat. It also has several mature trees on and adjacent to the property. Not as much as the other lot, but still more than 5 trees in the front yard, and a few in the back, too. So leaf control is an issue. Also, it has a long driveway due to the garage being on the back side of the house, and the house being set far back from the road. So, snow removal is also an issue. Let's hear your thoughts and recommendations. And when it comes to brands names and specific features, please be specific, as I am not as familiar as you all seem to be. Thanks.

 

[kep5niner]

I replied a few years ago to this thread, and appreciate the update. I too have upgraded, now with 3.5 acres to mow, and another 300' driveway. I went with the top-of-the-line Husqvarna TS354XD garden tractor. It's got the same 24 HP Kawasaki engine I had on my last Husqvarna, only a 54" fabricated deck this time. There are 9 trees I navigate easily, and I use a 48" snow blade when I need to plow. The locking differential is effective enough to not need tire chains for plowing. I tow various implements: dump trailer, sprayer, seeder. etc. Agri-Fab makes most of the implements for Husqvarna, so getting it from them is cheaper than having the Husqvarna name on it.

The latest upgrade that I'm eagerly awaiting installation of is the TracSeat suspension kit for your seat. It's a pretty slick aftermarket seat suspension that should save my back on the rough lawn. Damn moles...

 

[Chip Sylverne]

I replied a few years ago to this thread, and appreciate the update. I too have upgraded, now with 3.5 acres to mow, and another 300' driveway. I went with the top-of-the-line Husqvarna TS354XD garden tractor. It's got the same 24 HP Kawasaki engine I had on my last Husqvarna, only a 54" fabricated deck this time. There are 9 trees I navigate easily, and I use a 48" snow blade when I need to plow. The locking differential is effective enough to not need tire chains for plowing. I tow various implements: dump trailer, sprayer, seeder. etc. Agri-Fab makes most of the implements for Husqvarna, so getting it from them is cheaper than having the Husqvarna name on it.

The latest upgrade that I'm eagerly awaiting installation of is the TracSeat suspension kit for your seat. It's a pretty slick aftermarket seat suspension that should save my back on the rough lawn. Damn moles...

Let us know how well this works. I have a Husqvarna MT 54", and the thing is a beast when it comes to mowing, and built like a tank, but without suspension mowing rough terrain can be like going 10 rounds with Tyson.

 

[Gary Ward]

In 2004 I bought a Wright commercial zero turn mower for 5990. It was a demo with a few hours on it. It was brought to my property for a demo from a local equipment supplier and I kept it/bought it. 19 years later it has paid for it's self many times over.
It is fast, aggressive and rough to handle, too much for my wife. It does a killer job but at 63 I may look to replace it this year or next? I cut 4 property's with it, 6 acres total.
I use the thing about 3-4 times a week. I am not on it for more than an hour at a time. It has saved me tons of time.
I am looking to down size and maybe retire some day and not cut grass? Not sure if I want to buy another?
Like said don't buy one from home dump or lowes if you want it to last.
Yes I have had to work on it some, still bullet proof.
Last summer I finally had to put a wheel motor on it. Up until now it has been rode hard and put away wet hundreds of time. 2 of my property's are commercial and rough. Residential mower would have never held up. Like said I am money ahead by going commercial all these years later. I cut some steep hills under low tree branches. This mower has a very low center of gravity and is very safe. It won't flip over, stand or sit. I sit on it. Sit behind the deck down low and easy to get off of in hurry. I have never come close to needing to get off in a hurry.

Not sure what I would replace it with? I will be watching this thread

 

[kep5niner]

Let us know how well this works. I have a Husqvarna MT 54", and the thing is a beast when it comes to mowing, and built like a tank, but without suspension mowing rough terrain can be like going 10 rounds with Tyson.

Chip - the TracSeat is actually made for the ZTRs, I'll have to get creative on fabbing it to make it work for my garden tractor. There's tons of YouTube videos about this modification, with all rave reviews. I'm looking forward to it and will report back!

 

[sourdough44]

Central Indiana, I wouldn’t worry to much about snow. My favorite is to look through Facebook marketplace in Nov for a mower.

This grown like crazy spring & early summer, then it slows down, kinda obvious I know.

 

[SoonerAviator]

Find yourself a nice Kubota B7100HST or similar. 60" belly mower built out of thick steel. Diesel powered so it sips fuel and runs quiet. Ability to put on a front end loader or any number of 3-point implements for leaf cleanup, snow blowing, etc. 4WD option was pretty popular so you won't have problems in snow. Available in hydrostatic transmission or geared models, but most are HST which makes it a single pedal operation. Doesn't take up much more space than a regular zero turn mower. You can pick them up in great condition for under $4K all day long.

Obviously other brands/models of subcompact tractors are out there, but the 16-20HP tractors are great for lots under 3 acres or so and have the flexibility to do light box blade work, angle blades, towing, and will mow pretty well with either a mid-mount deck or a rear finish mower.

 

[Albany Tom]

Cool on the OP being the one to bring a thread back!

I have about an acre, and lots of trees, and I'm terrible at mowing regularly enough so it's often high/deep. I have a "White" that I bought from tractor supply about 10 years ago. It's really an MTD. They make many brands, including the current versions of cub-cadet and troy-built. It's a 54" deck, I believe 12HP, and has a continuously variable transmission. If you get a conventional rider, I'd get as wide a deck as possible, as that lets you get closer to obstacles and reduces your work trimming.

Since I've had it, I've only had to replace the drive belts, the plastic oil plug (leaked), the battery, and tires. Mine was a lot less expensive than a zero turn at the time. I didn't see the zero-turn being worth the $2k or so extra price, and I don't regret it. I did spring for the CVT, which some said might not be reliable, but it's been fine. Changing gears is a PITA if you have to make a lot of turns. Mine will let you cut forwards and in reverse w/ an override switch on each start. That's a nice feature. I disabled the seat safety switch, because it would bounce and disconnect the solenoid for the blade, and I because my land is flat and don't drive crazy, so I'm not worried about it.

I have apple, pear, and about 4-5 maple trees, but more pine. I use an electric leaf blower for the front of the house, and for the rest I just mow over them. I do not bag the grass, or the leaves, as I don't understand the point of it. For the driveway, I have a separate snowblower. I think a blower for a lawn tractor would be a significant pain to setup, as you'd have to draw power from a drive belt, and that means propping up the mower. Little mowers don't have PTO's that I've seen, and you wouldn't want the mower deck on it when doing snow removal. I know a couple of people that have tractors with blowers, but I think they mostly just like playing with or having a tractor for the fun of it. People with serious amounts of snow to remove in this area use pickup or larger trucks with plows, or end loaders.

I always run no-ethanol gas, and always run stabil in the fuel. With that, I've never had to do any carb work.

One thing you might want to do is see who in your area works on small engines/mowers, and what brands they work on. Some are particular, some aren't. I bought mine from Tractor Supply because they're close enough that I could drive it home. That was fun, and it makes for a good story. Only about 300 yards, but drove it on US Rt 9.

 

[SoonerAviator]

For the driveway, I have a separate snowblower. I think a blower for a lawn tractor would be a significant pain to setup, as you'd have to draw power from a drive belt, and that means propping up the mower. Little mowers don't have PTO's that I've seen, and you wouldn't want the mower deck on it when doing snow removal. I know a couple of people that have tractors with blowers, but I think they mostly just like playing with or having a tractor for the fun of it. People with serious amounts of snow to remove in this area use pickup or larger trucks with plows, or end loaders.

Most tractor snow blowers are run off of the rear PTO and can be put on in less than 5 minutes. You do drive in reverse while operating them, so it isn't optimal if you were trying to clear a parking lot but it works fine for a driveway or to clear a path down the road. The main benefit to it is the size since you can generally run something with a 4' implement with a 20-24HP tractor, but if it's thick snow you better put the gearing in low and make it crawl to be effective.

 

[PPC1052]

Central Indiana, I wouldn’t worry to much about snow.

Yeah, I only shoveled once this year, and that wasn't even a real shoveling. Just clearing a few spots. That is unusual , though. Normally, I shovel multiple times, and when it gets really deep, I hire someone to plow it. The new driveway is really long though. (When the house inspector snaked the sewer line, he couldn't reach all the way to the main.) I will not even try to shovel it.

 

[MIFlyer]

If my yard wasn't basically one giant hill/rollover hazard I'd probably get one of these

Wildly impractical? perhaps, but old tractors are cool.

This won't surprise you, but i was looking at a Farmall with a belly mower to keep up mom's 5 acres (it's too much for her with her ZT mower), but we're going to sell out and move her to a level acre this spring, which she can safely handle with the ZT she's got. no tractor excuse for me!

 

[kep5niner]

This was my driveway when I lived outside of Chicago. The first year, the 48" blade on the tractor worked ok, but as the snow continued, my driveway would get narrower and narrower, so I had to go with the 48" snow-thrower attachment, which worked great on the Husqvarna. I haven't seen snow like that since I moved down "south" (MO). I think Evansville may not see much snow like this, and where I'm at now, the 48" blade works fine. Didn't even need to use it this year. Love me some global warming.

 

[PPC1052]

Find yourself a nice Kubota B7100HST or similar. 60" belly mower built out of thick steel. Diesel powered so it sips fuel and runs quiet. Ability to put on a front end loader or any number of 3-point implements for leaf cleanup, snow blowing, etc. 4WD option was pretty popular so you won't have problems in snow. Available in hydrostatic transmission or geared models, but most are HST which makes it a single pedal operation. Doesn't take up much more space than a regular zero turn mower. You can pick them up in great condition for under $4K all day long.

Obviously other brands/models of subcompact tractors are out there, but the 16-20HP tractors are great for lots under 3 acres or so and have the flexibility to do light box blade work, angle blades, towing, and will mow pretty well with either a mid-mount deck or a rear finish mower.

That's tempting. Here's one not too far from me:

KUBOTA B7100HST For Sale in Martinsville, Indiana | TractorHouse.com

 

[SoonerAviator]

That's tempting. Here's one not too far from me:

KUBOTA B7100HST For Sale in Martinsville, Indiana | TractorHouse.com

They are great little tractors (about 16HP). The mowing deck is build SOLID and is easy to grease and makes a really even/smooth cut. Ours had the muffler horizontal instead of vertical, but that's easy to swap if you don't like the taller stack. Easy to maintain as well. My father used his to maintain about 3 acres (2 of it mowing) for a long time. Only real downside is that most of the B-series at the time didn't come with front-end loaders, but at this size the FEL isn't capable of doing much large work if you need to shovel lots of material anyway. They also handle uneven/imperfect ground a lot better than zero turns and smaller garden riding mowers. They didn't have a foldable ROPS back then, either, if that matters at all.

 

[Sinistar]

For 1.6 acres I would want a 60" deck. Mowing a new to you big lawn is fun for about 5 times and then you want to be done in an hour or less. I can do a half acre with not too many trees in less than 30min if its not too thick. That is with a 48" deck which also fits a lot nicer in the garage. I have a 48" blower and we had a ton of snow here this winter. For all the stuff between November and Feb its more powdery and belt driven two stage is pretty decent. But once the slush hits I threw the belt once and really had it burning a few times. I would want something driven by shaft vs belt for that much driveway. And a cab. I still haven't found a cab - want a cab. For reference this is all for a X500. My brother jumped up to a 7xx series and the nice cab, no snowblower belt and power steering for the heavy snowblower and power lift for the snowblower is awesome. But he is clearing more than I ever will.

 

[PPC1052]

They are great little tractors (about 16HP).

My initial reaction was, where am I going to store that? Then I realized, its 1.67 acres. I am sure I can put it somewhere.

 

[SoonerAviator]

My initial reaction was, where am I going to store that? Then I realized, its 1.67 acres. I am sure I can put it somewhere.

Well, it's about 80" long while a typical zero turn is around 75", so the extra length isn't too different from that aspect. The 60" mowing deck is a bit wider than 60", but it's not too bad with the discharge chute up. You can park it out back with a cover on it and it will be good to go. It's fits fine in a 3rd car garage space if you have one available. Lean-to is another option.

 

[Checkout_my_Six]

tractors are difficult to turn.....and maneuver around stuff. My tractor has a loader and a hoe....but my mower is a zero turn.

 

[SoonerAviator]

tractors are difficult to turn.....and maneuver around stuff. My tractor has a loader and a hoe....but my mower is a zero turn.

The compact tractors do really well, and the mid-mount mower makes it just like driving a big lawn tractor. Rear-PTO driven finish mowers do take up more space and have limitations on turning radius since you have to watch the swing. I would imagine your tractor would be a pain to mow with with the loader/lifting arms taking up so much space as well unless you're just mowing open land with no trees or obstructions. Zero turns are great (we have one of those, too), but they don't do snow blower or blade work as OP was requesting. They also cost about as much as a used tractor, sometimes more. If @PPC1052 just wants to mow grass and nothing else, I'd absolutely recommend a 60" Zero Turn for that application. When you need to clear driveways or roads, box blade work, or the land isn't mostly flat/smooth, the tractors are a good swiss-army knife.

 

[ElPaso Pilot]

I'm sold on picking up lower hour used commercial mowers from suburban buyers who overbought and are downsizing / retiring to Florida.

So much more robust than any new big box mower.

My last one was an oddball Gravely zero turn Promaster. Heavy plate steel everywhere, nothing stamped, simple construction.

Deck was way out in front, so I could get deep under the big pines without getting a face full of needles.

Had a funky hydraulic lift that basically let me run through tall scrubby stuff with the deck up, or reach over objects (i.e. little stream across the back) and set it down to trim on the other side.